Thai protesters’ plaque challenging the monarchy removed

A plaque placed by Thai pro-democracy protesters near the Grand Palace in Bangkok which declared that Thailand belongs to the people and not the king has been removed.

Police warned on Monday that they may charge those behind the symbolic gesture.

The plaque was placed on Sunday after a rally by tens of thousands of people who cheered calls for reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

“I’ve received a report that the plaque is gone but I don’t know how and I don’t know who did it,” Bangkok’s deputy police chief Piya Tawichai said.

At the biggest demonstration in Thailand in years, protesters cheered calls for reform of the monarchy as well as for the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, and for a new constitution and elections.

After the protest, people queued up to take pictures next to the plaque, which also features a hand giving the three-finger salute adopted by pro-democracy protesters.

But not all Thais support the new plaque, which resembles one that had commemorated the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and which was removed from outside a royal palace in 2017, after Vajiralongkorn took the throne.

Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom said on Sunday the plaque was inappropriate and the king was above politics.

“It didn't achieve anything,” he said. “These actions are symbolically against the king, but the king is not an opponent.”

Craig Kunakorn, 33, a barber who had been at the protests came to visit the spot where the plaque had been cemented into the ground on Monday.

“Everyone knew it would disappear soon but the success of creating it is something that will continue. It is still an important symbol,” Craig said.

Protesters have grown ever bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand's palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a long-standing taboo on criticising the monarchy — which is illegal under lese-majesty laws.

The demonstrators say the constitution gives the king too much power and that it was engineered to allow Prayuth to keep power after elections last year. He says that vote was fair. The next protest is scheduled for Thursday. Protest leaders also called on Thais to take October 14 off work to show their support for change. — Reuters